Whole House Generators – Key Things You Need To Know

Categories: Energy Solutions, Tips for Your Home

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A whole house generator is rapidly becoming a standard accessory in homes. Weather-related power outages have increased 100 percent since 2003. On an average day, about a half-million people across the country are affected by loss of utility power. Not only are power outages increasing, the typical duration until power is restored is also getting longer. The reason is clear: most of the U.S. power grid was constructed in the 1950s and upgrades have not kept pace with rapidly increasing demand or changes in patterns of severe weather.

Portable generators utilized for recreational activities are not designed to provide safe, reliable household power during an outage; amperage output is insufficient. Units must be deployed outdoors then manually started, and utilization present hazards from carbon monoxide exhaust and the necessity to string long extension cords in wet weather.

Installed by a professional electrician, a whole-house generator safely protects your household from electrical interruptions and the potential expense and stress of having to leave home until utility power is restored. Here are some key facts to consider:

Whole-house generators are permanently installed behind or next to your home, and are about the size of a typical central A/C.

The unit is hard-wired directly into the main electrical panel of the house and continuously monitors incoming power from the grid. When an outage is detected, the system automatically starts and shifts household circuits over to generator power in seconds. After utility power is restored, the generator automatically switches back to the grid and shuts off.

Whole-house generators typically run off clean natural gas fuel already supplied to your home. It’s a self-feeding energy source that flows without pumps and is very rarely affected by weather or other factors that cause power outages.

A whole-house generator can be sized to your expected needs. Capacity ranges from sufficient power for critical circuits only to units that totally replace utility power throughout the entire home.

Apps available for many whole-house units permit remote monitoring and control via smartphone.